New Orleans Regional Council

GLOBAL GREEN USA NEW ORLEANS COUNCIL

GLOBAL GREEN USA is the American affiliate of President Gorbachev’s Green Cross International, which seeks to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future by reconnecting humanity with the environment. In the U.S., Global Green focuses on mitigating climate change by demonstrating the value of green buildings and sustainable neighborhoods.

Global Green opened our New Orleans office shortly after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and on the 4th anniversary of the hurricane, its work on affordable housing, schools and energy policy earned national critical acclaim.

New Orleans Programs

Holy Cross Project: Global Green’s sustainable village in the Lower 9th Ward boasts 5 completed LEED Platinum homes surrounded by rain gardens. The first home is serving as a visitors’ center and has educated over 20,000 people on a range of green building techniques.

Coming next is the Holy Cross Community Development & Climate Action Center, a large community and conference center that will provide a corner grocery store and credit union, and will house Global Green’s permanent green education center and staff.

The center will advance the green rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, making sustainable development the new standard for the region. It will include Global Green’s offices; a visitor’s center targeting tour buses and local schools; meeting rental facilities targeting smaller but influential groups visiting New Orleans; bank branch; corner cafe/coffee shop offering fresh foods; and passive survivability features (e.g., back up electricity, potable water, and sanitation for first responders in case of future storms). It will also help export knowledge to other cities—especially those in endangered coastal areas or otherwise threatened directly by climate change—to create a unified front on the adaptation to and mitigation of the dangers of climate change.

Locally, the Center will create new jobs, provide job training, incubate small business, and provide ongoing outreach and education on green building and renewable clean energy to daily visitors.

An 18-unit affordable apartment building will finish off the model development.

Green Schools: Four “Green Seed Schools” are enjoying an average $23,000 a year energy savings due to upgrades from Global Green. Two “Model Green Schools” received over $700,000 from Global Green to install green features such as solar panels, rainwater cisterns, and energy and resource monitoring. Andrew Wilson Elementary School in Broadmoor achieved LEED Gold Certification and L.B. Landry is expected to obtain LEED Silver. Added value projects included green curricula development, teacher training and a green career fair.

NOLA Wise: In partnership with the City of New Orleans, Southeast Energy Alliance, and the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Program Global Green offers homeowners loans for energy efficiency improvements. A qualified HERS rater performs a home energy assessment to determine the best way to achieve a 15% reduction in energy usage. Participants will have access to a pool of nationally-certified contractors, as well as knowledgeable energy efficiency specialists who will walk them through the process. This includes access to any other available incentives, rebates, and tax credits, such as HERO, EnergySmart, and other federal and state programs.

Build It Back Green: BIBG is New Orleans’ largest green building outreach and education program. Focusing on low-income families, it empowers New Orleanians to make their homes greener and save on their utility bills by offering free information, training and weatherization assistance. To date, the program has reached over 20,000 residents through 300 community workshops and events, hundreds of one-on-one green building technical consultations, and over 100 customized on-site home energy consultations. .

Green Building Resource Center (GBRC): The GBRC was opened downtown in June 2006 to provide the community with hands-on examples of green building materials; fact sheets on energy efficiency, tax credits and more; and one-on-one consultations with Global Green technical staff. Located conveniently on the streetcar line, it was honored as “New Orleans’ Best Recovery Resource” in December 2010 by the Neighborhood Partnership Network.

Clean Energy For A Clean Gulf Coast: It began with the BP Oil Spill and has continued along the length of the Gulf Coast. Beyond raising funds to help fishermen’s families, Global Green has been advocating for a full clean up of the spill, restitution for lost jobs and income, and accelerated efforts towards green energy and green jobs.

WE INVITE YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Global Green USA depends on the support and involvement of conscientious, progressive individuals to achieve its goals and to forward President Gorbachev’s vision of a safer, more sustainable planet. Now in its second decade, Global Green understands the urgent need for knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who are active in the environmental community.

Membership Commitment

Give and/or raise $2.500 per year, and

Help recruit additional Council members and spread Global Green’s message.